How Social Media Affects Your Memory

Heavy social media use undermines our ability to learn, what we remember, and how we remember it

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The explosive proliferation of social media platforms, and their use by billions of people each day, shows us that this novel form of interaction between human beings and technology is having a profound impact.

This technology has allowed practically everyone, all over the world, to connect with neighbors near and far, and instantly share everything from cute pet photos to heated political opinions. Social scientists are scrambling to figure out what impact this sea change in human interaction is actually having on us—and on our brains—at each stage of life. Recent research shows that when it comes to memory, heavy social media use seems to weaken us.

The Dominating Influence of Social Media

Whether it’s Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp, or TikTok—each of which holds the regular attention of well over a billion users (or in the case of Facebook, almost 3 billion)—scrolling through social media feeds is a dominant pastime for many. Americans spend, on average, a little over two hours each day on social media, but this time varies widely between different age groups.